All for Nothing
by tinyhobbit
Summary: "A million plans half-formed in his head – all with the same outcome. He must save Dumbledore. And the only way he could do that was to take the potion himself." My take on what would have happened if Harry had taken the potion in HBP. One-shot.


_I don't own Harry Potter._

"_Why can't I drink the potion instead?" asked Harry desperately._

"_Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable." said Dumbledore, "Once and for all, Harry, do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking?"_

"_Couldn't - "_

"_Do I have it?"_

"_But - "_

"_Your word, Harry." - _p533, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, JK Rowling

A million thoughts and solutions went through his head in the space of a second. A million plans half-formed in his head – all with the same outcome. He must save Dumbledore. And the only way he could do that was to take the potion himself.

"I - " hesitated Harry. "I...no."

Before Dumbledore had the chance to react, Harry grabbed the goblet from his grasp, dipped it into the basin clumsily and threw it into his mouth. He gasped as the freezing cold liquid _burned_ its way down his throat. A faint sound echoed around his head – the noise of a scream...a woman's scream. He knew that scream...but he couldn't quite recall where from.

He heard Dumbledore curse quietly – possibly the first time he had ever heard Dumbledore utter a word like that – and then say: "Harry – Harry, how do you feel?"

"Fine," Harry lied in a whisper. He lowered the goblet shakily and took some more and then threw it down his throat. He repeated this two more times – the liquid leaving a freezing trail that burned behind it, each time the scream getting louder.

Then, as he tried to throw down another cup of the dreadful potion, he gasped, and felt the goblet dropping from his hands – but he was no longer in the cave.

No, he was in a house – a house 15 years ago. He saw his father falling and green light filling the room. He saw his mother screaming and then she, too, falling. And then he was on a giant chess board – and he saw Ron falling of the giant chess piece – sacrificing himself for Harry. He saw Hermione lying in a hospital bed, petrified. He saw Ron and Lockhart, both trapped behind the rocks. He saw Ginny, lying motionless, her face white and pale. He saw Ron, with his leg bleeding, and he saw Sirius, lying unconscious as the Death Eaters attacked him.

He was vaguely aware of somebody talking to him, urging him to drink something. He cowered away from it – he knew, somehow, that this was the cause of his pain. He shook his head. But then, it was forced down his throat anyway.

And the memories attacked again.

He saw Ron, Hermione, Cho and Fleur's sister all suspended in the water, he saw Cedric lying spread eagled on the grass...He saw Voldemort rising, he saw Mr Weasley being bitten by a snake_, _he saw Sirius falling through the veil...and then, he saw Katie Bell rising into the air, a scream coming from her wide mouth. He saw Ron collapsing to the floor, his body convulsing with the poison as it tried to kill him.

More of the potion – no _poison, _he decided, was forced down his throat.

And then it all changed. He realised that he was no longer watching memories.

He saw each one of the people he loved falling...the green light surrounding them, their eyes haunted and lifeless. Dumbledore, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Seamus, Luna, Dean, Neville, Fred and George, Lupin, Kingsley, Charlie, Hagrid, Bill, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, his mother and father...Sirius...Ron...Hermione..._Ginny._

And then, Harry looked down at his hand, and raised it up to his face – he was holding a wand.

He walked over to the water that he hadn't realised was there...and he saw himself. Except it wasn't him...he had a bald head, pale white skin, two slits where his nose should be, bright red eyes, and long, white fingers which were wrapped around the long wand that he knew so well...

He dropped it, aghast. The wood on stone noise echoed...and Harry staggered back, away from the water, terrified.

He was Voldemort – and Voldemort was him.

No, these were not memories. But what were they?

_The future..._a malicious voice whispered in his head.

And then it was over. The memories – the visions, they had all stopped.

He felt himself fall to the ground, his body convulsing with sobs.

But then Harry registered the pain. His breath caught in his throat as he felt the way his muscles ached. And he was so _tired_. It felt difficult just to open his eyes, to raise even a finger exhausted him.

"Harry, we must leave. Now!" Dumbledore's voice met his ears, and then he felt Dumbledore help him up, and pulled him into a boat. Something bright was shining around them, but Harry couldn't summon up the energy to find out, or even care, what it was. One thing was in his mind, and one thing only – that he needed to get out of here. They ran – as fast as they could, with Harry in that state – to the end of the cave. Dumbledore cut himself again, and then wiped it on the stone, and he pulled Harry out of the cave.

"Take the locket, Harry," Dumbledore commanded, and Harry did as he was told, shoving it clumsily into his pocket.

Suddenly, Harry felt the sensation of being squashed through a very small tube, and he felt worse when it was over. He sank to the ground, shaking all over...he felt so _weak._

"Harry, Harry listen to me - we must get back to the school." Dumbledore said, his voice shaking slightly, "We have to get you to Severus. And we have to..." he trailed off.

If he had the energy, he would have declined, and said he didn't want to go to Snape...but he didn't. Instead, he just nodded, and Dumbledore helped him onto the broom. He looked up at Hogwarts, and then realised why Dumbledore sounded so panicked – the Dark Mark was above the school.

A pang went through him – Ron, Hermione, Ginny...what if something had happened to them? Would the little luck left have worn off by now? Harry didn't want to wait to find out.

Adrenaline burst through him, and suddenly he was flying – fast, determined...he needed to help his friends. He was still exhausted and in pain, but his concentration was entirely focused upon getting to the school and his friends. Some part of him realised that Dumbledore was flying just as fast as him and he knew that the old headmaster was desperate to help in any way he could.

As the two of them dismounted, Harry felt the pain in his body centre slightly on his chest. He gasped, and clutched at it, the pain almost overwhelming. Dumbledore held his shoulder tightly.

"Harry, my boy, you must go to Severus."

"Professor..."

"Go, Harry!"

Harry nodded, but as he was making his way quickly to the spiral staircase, footsteps were heard, and suddenly Harry was immobilised, and the invisibility cloak was over him.

And then Malfoy appeared. "_Expelliarmus!" _he exclaimed, and Dumbledore's wand silently flew away and over the ramparts...

Harry finally understood. He had been right about one thing over the course of the year – Malfoy was a Death Eater. He was trying to kill Dumbledore – all year he had been doing so, but now, he was going to manage...and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Harry realised that after taking the potion for Dumbledore – he was going to die anyway. His efforts to save him had been worthless...completely and utterly worthless. It had all been for nothing.

Dumbledore and Malfoy were talking...Malfoy had been offered protection...and Harry thought that he was going to take it – but then the other Death Eaters came in.

And Snape came soon after.

Harry watched in a daze as the jet of green light hit Dumbledore square on the chest, and as Dumbledore fell, as if in slow motion.

Suddenly Harry could move again. And the Death Eaters ran – the adrenaline was still coursing through him, and he ran after them. But he was still extremely weak, and he couldn't catch up with them.

He stumbled, and then they were gone. All the Death Eaters had run away – but there was a clear sign of a battle having taken place. He pulled the Invisibility cloak off him and leant against the wall heavily. That was when he spotted Ginny. She was running towards him, her smile wide when she saw that he was still alive.

"Harry! Harry, you're back!" she screamed, and hugged him hard when she got to him. Harry winced, and knew she hadn't realised that he didn't have the strength to hold her up. She let go, and his knees buckled, causing him to slide down the wall.

"Harry?" she exclaimed, "Harry, what's wrong? What happened?"

He shook his head, his eyes closed...the pain was now not only centred around his chest, but in his stomach too. It felt like fire..._ice cold_ fire – it didn't make sense, yet he felt it.

"Harry?" she screamed, her face full of pure terror, "Harry, talk to me."

He opened his eyes, his face was pale white, and coated in sweat. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Someone else was running over. "Ginny?" the voice shouted – Harry recognised it was Ron's. "Ginny, what's going on? Who's that?"

"Ron, it's Harry, but I don't know what's wrong with him!"

Ron ran over, pushing Ginny aside gently, and took Harry by the shoulders.

"Mate, what happened?" he demanded.

"I had...to drink a potion...to get to the horcrux. Dumbledore...he told me to get Snape, but...Ron, Snape – he killed Dumbledore, Ron."

"What? Dumbledore's dead?" Ron's voice was filled with horror. Harry nodded. "Harry, we need to get you to the hospital wing!" he exclaimed, as his eyes closed again.

Ron hoisted his best friend up, and put his arm round Harry's shoulders – Ginny taking the other. They went as fast as they could, Harry passing in and out of consciousness.

"Come on, Harry, stay with us, you can do this," Ron muttered, as he threw the doors to the Hospital Wing open.

Lupin stood up quickly when they came in – he was sat in a chair next to Bills bed – Hermione, Luna and Tonks where also there.

"Merlins beard – Harry, what's happened to you?"

"He drunk some kind of a potion," Ron said urgently, "We don't know what, and he hasn't been able to tell us much."  
Lupin came over and helped lower Harry onto a bed.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey," said Hermione, terrified for her best friend.

"Lupin," Harry said, his voice slightly slurred, "Dumbledore...Dumbledore's dead."

"What?" asked Lupin, his face losing any colour that was left in it.

"He says Snape killed him," Ron quickly filled him in.

"Oh...oh Merlin." said Lupin, falling into his seat and putting his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry," murmured Harry from beside him.

Lupin shook his head, "Don't be sorry. We need to concentrate on getting you better."

Harry nodded, but some part of him knew that this was it – that he wasn't going to get better. He felt the pain in his body grow stronger, and the force of it shook him. He moaned quietly, and grabbed the bedsheets with his hands, his knuckles turning white with the force that he held them.

Ginny took his hand quietly, and he gave her a weak, pained smile in return.

"I love you," he murmured, "And I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it."

She shook her head, "Don't be sorry. Never be sorry."

Harry smiled, and as his eyes slowly closed, and his grip on Ginny's hand and the bedsheet's slackened, the smile remained on his face.

It left as he realised – after all he had done tonight, he still had the locket.

"Ron," he rasped.

"Yeah," the tall boy said, coming closer, and kneeling beside the bed.

"The locket...it's in my pocket. Take it...look after it for me...destroy it."

Ron smiled weakly, "I will...for now."

Harry nodded. And with that, he fell into the deepest sleep there is.

The cries of grief and loss echoed around Hogwarts that night. Later, as Ron Weasley sat in the Hospital Wing, tears staining his cheeks, he opened the locket that he had promised to destroy for his best friend.

When he read the note inside, he began to weep more than before...because he realised that all Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore had done that night – what they had sacrificed themselves for...it was all for nothing.

_So, thank you for reading. I don't know if anyone will like it...it's just a plot that decided to spin around in my head the other day, and I had to write it down...s0 please review =) _


End file.
